Media Reform Headlines for March 12, 2008 Resent-Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:36:21 -0500 (CDT) Media Reform Daily http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=-IfW7MfJmt3pa38Dhlozuw.. Headlines for media activists, scholars and producers, March 12, 2008. A service of Free Press, online at http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=lpPXeRiWgLQ1zTSX3wC7MQ.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVE THE INTERNET OK Go Goes to Washington Internet musical phenomenon OK Go, along with the Christian Coaliltion and the ACLU, urged Congress to support Net Neutrality at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. Free Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=E9z24JtBbiGW63JtPBjR4A.. Lawmaker May Jump into Net Neutrality Fray Congress may have to stop broadband Internet providers from charging content providers higher fees for priority access to the Internet, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said. Peter Kaplan, Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=P1fAkpHgv5LzcVzcQMaJLQ.. OK Go Rocks Capitol Hill for Net Neutrality The lead singer of OK Go, a rock band that spawned a cult following through its viral online music videos last year, testified before a House task force today that the Internet must remain an unfettered place if groups like his hope to survive. Carrie Sheffield, Washington Times http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Hi0jEUIAg8FhkG9ASEMLzg.. Can Antitrust Rules Be Applied to Net Neutrality? In what could turn out to be a jurisdictional battle, House Judiciary members pushed for an antitrust approach to Net Neutrality rather than a regulatory structure that would allow the FCC to weigh in on the controversial topic. Chloe Albanesius, PC Magazine http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=1MwuFm3F6RqUjp3x9Thurg.. House Panel Explores Net Neutrality Antitrust Law The U.S. Congress may need to amend antitrust law to keep broadband providers from interfering with Internet traffic, the chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee said. Grant Gross, IDG News Service http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=RMxsFelrH8w6FWaGsLcyJA.. Christian Coalition, NARAL Odd Bedfellows at Net Neutrality Hearing The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Net Neutrality that was interesting for its display of strange bedfellows. Nate Anderson, ars technica http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=tnzr-kZS0eK8kf1wzYy8-g.. FCC Chairman: ISPs Must Disclose Interference with Traffic FCC Chairman Kevin Martin once again indicated that the agency is considering requiring Internet service companies to disclose to consumers whether they impede traffic to applications in order to manage traffic. Wendy Davis, Media Post http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=XNs0H3i3paW5S2Q_cszpyQ.. ACT NOW! Tell the FCC to Stop Comcast Visit http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=LwNkUrcItJbVCGel6b7ZtA.. STOP BIG MEDIA Ninth Circuit Court Gets Appeal of Cross-Ownership Rules A panel of judges picked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to hear a consolidated appeal of the FCC's Dec. 18 decision to loosen newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules. John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=OHc17WkKR0DrJZVF_ptkKQ.. Private-Equity Boss Defends Clear Channel Deal to Congress Clear Channel's future path would be "best served" by focusing on fewer radio stations in fewer media markets, the managing director of one of the buy-out firms seeking to acquire the company told Congress. Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=3X9-T2G_XUzpU2WQVcqvyw.. Private Equity's Role in Communications Debated on Capitol Hill The role of private equity in the communications sector was the subject of a hearing by the House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee, led by Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.). John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=AmOCn5QGmZ0Gk3Km_3eo5A.. Dingell's Statement on the Role of Private Equity in the Communications Marketplace At a hearing of the House Commerce Committee, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) said, "Cost-cutting measures that result in the paring down or removal of local news broadcasts would most certainly not serve the public interest." House Commerce Committee http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Ww1MoD0NQ_ZtjZuALHovEQ.. Owners Close News Division at KREN, Spanish Station Pappas Telecasting Companies canceled the news division of Reno stations KREN Channel 27. The company cited low advertising revenues as the reason to silence the area's Hispanic community's alternative voice. Cyndi Loza, Reno Gazette-Journal http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=-QvQGoJr8HKfX30QCo_qYA.. ACT NOW! Tell Your Senator to Stand Up for Better Media Visit http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=8gl-mKAylv9Qys4holInQw.. CORPORATE MEDIA WATCH The EC Approval of Google's DoubleClick Takeover By failing to impose safeguards, EC regulators have helped strengthen a growing digital colossus that will now be in a dominant position to shape much of the global future of the Internet and other online media. Jeff Chester, Digital Destiny http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=1U5g1J_yr3bOLvDj_vi50w.. Google Closes Deal for DoubleClick Google closed its long-awaited $3.1-billion purchase of the online advertising firm DoubleClick. The deal cleared its last hurdle with unconditional approval from European regulators. Jim Puzzanghera and Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=C7oUlE6f6dLMihcOWoim-Q.. EU Approves Google-DoubleClick Deal Google's acquisition of DoubleClick does not pose a significant threat to competition in the European online advertising market, the European Commission said. Peter Sayer, IDG News Service http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=zNm82cXnNy-oHwfSO_D3bA.. Google-DoubleClick May Bode Well for Microsoft-Yahoo Deal With the Google-DoubleClick merger wrapped up, Yahoo may face even greater pressure to find itself a buyout partner. The deal presents a threat to Yahoo's business of providing both Internet search advertising and display advertising. Dawn Kawamoto, CNet http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=5090hgZUmcJKpUSPotwopA.. JOURNALISM AND BEYOND Media Coalition Letter Urges Shield Law Approval A group of 50 media companies and organizations, as varied as News Corp. and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, have penned a letter urging Congress to take up a pair of federal shield law bills and enact them as soon as possible. Joe Strupp, Editor & Publisher http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=9xGHXXk0CnXz9tGFlrFqZw.. Court Blocks Fines for Anthrax-Probe Reporter A federal appeals court blocked fines of as much as $5,000 that a former USA Today reporter was ordered to pay each day she refuses to reveal her confidential sources for stories about the criminal investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Associated Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=oyLCiPYCgcVBlCkEhTNeJg.. Murdoch Tells Wall Street Journal Staffers There's No 'Conservative' Agenda In his first visit to the Wall Street Journal's D.C. bureau, Rupert Murdoch told staffers that he would put more resources into Washington coverage, while reassuring them that he is not a "conservative" pushing an agenda in the news pages. Michael Calderone, Politico http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Kf-WptJrQU2-lHMxb1uAhQ.. Charting Four-Year Circulation Plunge at Major Papers In just four years, the top newspapers in the United States have collectively lost about 1.4 million copies in daily circulation. The industry has lost about 10 percent of circulation overall. Jennifer Saba, Editor & Publisher http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=cb4NlYVajjfhyZ8KR-k9EQ.. Celebrities Top Politicians in News and Media Web Visits The search term "lunar eclipse" was tops among all news and media Web sites, while "Jennifer Lopez" was the top search term among news and media print sites. Barack Obama made up three of top 10 searches among both categories. Jack Loechner, Center for Media Research http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=t3EKscJpr3usoIuHsecYzg.. OTHER NEWS FROM TODAY 2008 National Conference for Media Reform Coming to Minneapolis On June 6-8, several thousand activists, journalists, scholars, policymakers and concerned citizens from across the country will gather at the Minneapolis Convention Center for the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform, hosted by Free Press. Free Press http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=BuHfveFR_J3Q5qaW-2B8lA.. Democrats Seek Alternative on Phone Immunity Democratic lawmakers offered an alternative to President Bush's demand that phone companies that participated in his warrantless domestic spying program receive immunity from lawsuits. Thomas Ferraro, Reuters http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=90LisPMGadZFTujDQYVB_g.. Telecom Companies Try to Buy Their Way Out of Trouble California's biggest telephone companies are throwing their political weight around again. The issue this time is spying, as the telcos spend millions lobbying Congress for immunity for their role in aiding the government's illegal wiretapping program. Robert Jacobson, Silicon Valley http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=iWrUUkvDes-cmw5FDcf7SA.. Cisco Invests in P2P Startup Cisco, the largest Internet infrastructure provider in the world, is investing in a company that is developing a peer-to-peer video platform, which could help the technology make even more efficient use of networks. Marguerite Reardon, CNet http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=-VkiJRs8KeEVofWCz7_22w.. Telco Transformation: A Do-or-Die Proposition For the telcos, the 20th century was all about growth. The 21st century is all about competition. To compete, a telco needs fiber, not copper. And it needs to rewire subscribers' houses for broadband and multimedia services. Kermit Ross, Telephony Online http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=5QQhB8fwD29zTHSJxCHFJw.. Regulators Focus on Broadband Access, Sharing Heads of national regulatory authorities and policy makers from both developed and developing countries will focus on widespread and affordable broadband access at a symposium underway in Thailand. Mediacaster http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=lHKL0VyA_q92wTx6Lqn3gA.. Bewkes Leans Toward Spinoff of Time Warner's Cable Unit Time Warner's chief executive signaled he is leaning in favor of spinning off the company's cable unit. Time Warner's board has been conducting a review into whether and how Time Warner should change its ownership of Time Warner Cable. Merissa Marr, Wall Street Journal http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=Bl0bJuKK4O4Oid9gb_zIzA.. Time Warner Cable Split 'Likely' The CEO of Time Warner hinted that the media giant is leaning toward a separation of its cable business, adding that while Time Warner is pleased with the unit's performance, its structure may not fit in with the overall company. Mike Farrell, Multichannel News http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=JIc5zW32z3eKkSq44isMCg.. FCC Consumer Advisory Committee to Meet April 4 the next meeting of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee will take place on Friday, April 4, 2008, 9:00 a.m. The Committee will continue its consideration of DTV transition issues. Federal Communications Commission http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=2xZK_MvBYcujxdMirT29IA.. DirecTV Fights NAB Request at FCC DirecTV told the FCC that the National Association of Broadcasters was "attempting to use the digital transition as a vehicle to impose additional mandates on others." John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=xT6n4TgT3e3nNWQ9tTHPUw.. When It Comes to Time Spent Online, Content Trumps Community Despite all the buzz around user-generated content, social networking and visitors to Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, consumers actually spend only 7.5 percent of their time online with community sites. Abbey Klaasen, Adverstising Age http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=XtOU4edFiOFarI9SmvpRcA.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of these articles are copyrighted material. We make such material available to advance understanding of public issues, which we believe constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Free Press is a national organization working to increase informed public participation in crucial media policy debates. The ultimate aim of Free Press is to generate a range of policies that will produce a more competitive and public-interest-oriented media system with a strong nonprofit and noncommercial sector. --------------------- WWW.FREEPRESS.NET --------------------- Many of these articles are copyrighted material. We make such material available to advance understanding of public issues, which we believe constitutes a "fair use" of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=9xKVfdqRxwdhQEzPF8D9bA.. Free Press is a national organization working to increase informed public participation in crucial media policy debates. The ultimate aim of Free Press is to generate a range of policies that will produce a more competitive and public-interest-oriented media system with a strong nonprofit and noncommercial sector. Please send comments or other feedback to newswire@freepress.net. Donate Now www.freepress.net http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=-nCQyOeBwAvGMVh8qpI44w.. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=n1-WVSJGBZN-n6iAFedhWw.. http://free.convio.net/site/R?i=jNGP5iSE6109j9Zvv9TGWg..